Maid with Golden Hair
by E for Endurance
Summary: Artemis is in the cave and muddling over a certain member of the team. And he shows up... What will happen now? Changing the rating to T for safety.
1. Playing Hairdresser

**Artemis Tai Crock-Nyugen  
Artemis Crock  
****AKA ARTEMIS**

It was only two days after the simulation and Batman had rooms made for all the kids. He wanted them all at the cave so he could observe them. After "therapy" with Black Canary, he was unconvinced that they were "Okay" or "Peachy". All the teens would stay at the cave this week, even from school to Artemis' anger.

She didn't like being told what to do.

After her session with Black Canary, Artemis heard how Wally had reacted when she died. Or at least, seemed to die. She didn't know _why_ he bothered her so much. He so specifically, compared to the others. After all, M'gann put her in a coma then refused to speak to her for days. She should be mad at M'gann, but she wasn't and she let it go rather easily.

The others were left mad, angry and scared at the event. They called out her name every time she left the room more than five minutes. She didn't mind this either. They all had just lost somebody important to them being family members or mentors and then it became _reality_ when she had died. So, in a way, everyone became closer.

She picked up the hair brush from her desk and a thin blue hair tie- formally thick but stretched from over use.

So, why was she bothered by what Wally did?

He screamed that he would kill every last alien because he was- _angry she died_. He was always the one who had morals of their group. He always incapacitated the villains they caught. He was the person who made the trip to the _Injustice League_ seem like no big deal by telling stupid jokes or acting dumb or just being unaware. Yet, he was uncharacteristically violent (he got mad, but sulky or reluctant) and smashed parts of the Bio-Ship.

Why did he act like this? With _her?_ She was Roy's replacement. The one hiding a secret. The girl always making fun of Wally, picking fights, hitting him in the head.

And why was she continuously thinking about _him?_ He was annoying as HELL. He always had a comment, or a reference. Or hit on a girl. Even _Black Canary_ for cryin' out loud, because Robin had mentioned it and she was at least ten or twelve years older _and dating Green Arrow, her Mentor._ Open like a book, honest Wally, yet he threw insults back at her all the _TIME_.

But that didn't mean she wouldn't help him during a mission. Or that they couldn't get along. They did small things for each other, like the time that she gave him a rebreathe-r. Or the time he could have been playing a video game and chose to help her with her math for the big midterm. For four hours straight. And he clearly knew the stuff and didn't mock her more than once.

So, when Black Canary brought up she was most worried about Wally, it bugged her even more. She sighed, pulling her blond hair back, ready to form it into her ponytail.

"Leave it down for one night, Rapunzel."

She turned around. There was the source of her confusion.

The red haired speed _demon_ himself-Wally.

"Gets in my way." She said nonchalant-ly. She then continued to pull it into a ponytail, but it snapped. The same dollar store ponytail holder that she'd used for three months, through missions and school and _god else_, it was always there. _Just like her arrows and her quiver and-. s_he ripped out with a bunch of hairs attached. She tensed up, took a breath and Wally cringed slightly.

"Give it here." He said gently, holding out a hand for her hair-tie.

She stared at him and passed it to her.

He took it gently, like it might explode. Wally took the broken hair tie and put it in his blue denim jean pockets. He held his hands in front of him in a sign of "peace", taking the top layer of her thick, blond hair and pulled it behind her head, stepping behind her. She then felt light tugging on her scalp from behind.

Artemis hated people being behind her. She hated the feeling of going into something blind, due to her experiences when she was young. Despite every instinct telling her to smack him or to run, she let him finish. He could be really gentle when he wasn't being silly or blundering around.

The hands released and Artemis' hands went to her head. Without her seeing, he had taken the bobby-pins from inside her desk and pinned her hair behind her head, creating a circlet of hair. She went to the mirror and looked critically at herself. She actually liked this look. It made her look like she had spent time on her hair, instead of just throwing it together. She just didn't like wasting her valuable time on something trivial like her hair. It was a distraction. It would get in her way.

"Thank-" She noticed the speedster had left the room. Probably to eat. She smoothed her hair and walked into the hallway.

*I dedicate this story to Karen-Lynne. She helped me to be tough like Artemis. She also liked to do my hair like this. Rest In Peace.*


	2. Out of character

Artemis walked past the bedrooms of the others to the communal area. Conner was staring at the television, yet not absorbing anything. M'gann and Kaldur were mysteriously absent. Which left the other two main members of the team talking in low voices;

"I'm fine. I'm just-not that hungry."

"Wally. I know you. You aren't eating because you're upset."

"Rob, puh-lease."

"Look! Cheese!"

Artemis followed the noise to the kitchen. True to the sound of the conversation, Robin was dangling a plate of nachos in front of Wally. This reminded her of when Captain Marvel had played waiter to Wally and gone through four bags of nachos, two bars of cheese and a liter of pineapple juice in one sitting.

But she never would have guessed Robin was _convincing _convince Wally to eat. And failing.

"Common dude. Let's go!"

"Go where?" Artemis asked, walking into sight.

"Artemis, did you-_ do your hair_?" Asked Conner, who at some point had come into the kitchen from the other side. Was that a complementary tone she heard? He was smart and conservative, but other than that, he was usually moody, silent or _I'M-GONNA-LOOSE-IT!_

Actually that wasn't really fair. Unlike Conner, who was pretty much a permanent "Cave person" by default, Artemis would have been home right now, working on her arrows, sparing in a gym or just watching T.V. Her mother, her few high school friends and the Team kept her in the world. Conner had very few friends and not even a parent to help him, yet he was adjusting at a rapid pace to a world he'd known for such a short time. He had even added her on Facebook.

Unfortunately, he as well was acting different after the simulation. They all were. M'gann and Artemis staying in their rooms, Kaldur in "lock down mode", Conner was more subdued than angry, Robin was anxious to leave the cave and Wally not eating.

_"Poor boys" _a sympathetic voice in her mind voiced.

She shook the thought away and replied "Um…yeah. Well, Wally did actually."

Artemis wouldn't have even have to look to know that everyone was now staring at Wally.

"What?" Wally asked.

"We didn't say anything." Robin said coyly, smiling like an idiot.

"Shut it. Don't act like a _d-"_

"K.F!"

"What?" Conner asked confused.

"Never mind!" The three teens yelled to the clone, faces flushed.

Wally smiled, but it wasn't the same smile she knew. It wasn't the flirty smile directed at _every hot or pretty girl besides freakin' ZATANNA._ It wasn't a jokey smile. It was unfamiliar. It was like a stranger had taken Wally, _their Wally_, giving them a photo copy version.

It said "I might be okay, but I'm not fine- at all" (1).

Out of nowhere, Robin jumped- no _sprang-_on Wally's back, legs wrapped around his waist, holding tightly onto Wally's upper body with his left arm while his right hand held a nacho.

"DUDE!" Wally struggled trying to shake off his friend.

"Wally. Eat the nacho."

"I'm not hungry man. You're making me mad." Wally twisted and writhed.

Artemis and Conner watched as Robin tried to shove the nacho into his face while Wally whined. The acrobat was like a snake around a deer, but ironically trying to help.

"Wallace Rudolf West."

"Don't make me say _your _name, _Robbie-poo_ (2)." Wally's jerking was becoming less springy , becoming shorter and more concentrated.

_Robbie-Poo?_

Robin, seeing the confused, awkward laughing faces of his friends, mumbled:

_"Really Wally? Really?"_

"Get OFF OF ME." Wally squeezed his eyes shut and backed into a wall. Hard. Robin hugged Wally tight.

"Come on Wally. Just eat the damn nacho." Artemis sighed. She wasn't annoyed, rather just wanting Wally to act normal again.

"That hurt." Robin said, half sarcastically.

"Robin, I think you should get off." Conner said quietly.

"What?"

**_THUDDDDDDDDDDDDD!_**

Yes, I'm doing a cliff hanger. I wasn't planning on making this longer. The first chapter was origionally supposed to support a different, longer story that is yet to be published. But hell, I'm going to make a BUNCH of stories at different times. I'm on bed rest today so I'm going to update the story!

(1) I don't own this song, but I've been listening to this song a lot for some reason.

(2) I also don't own Teen-Titans. Kitten was damn annoying.


End file.
